West Highland Way

We learned about this hike from a student we “sponsored” as part of a foreign student program at the University of Colorado. She convinced us this was a walk ( the Brits call these hikes walks ) we should really check out and after doing some internet surfing, we decided yes, this would be our next adventure. Since Carol had been in the UK over 25 years ago and I had not been to to UK since I was 18, we decided to include sight seeing in London and Scotland. We were attracted to the lush green landscapes we don’t get here in Colorado and we had never been to Scotland. This 7 day hike also fit our criteria for multi day trekking. Nothing heavier to carry than a day pack, warm showers and a good bed every night. This is probably the most popular hike in Scotland so an entire industry has developed around lodging and taking hikers luggage from one lodge to the next. However, the lodging along the hike is very limited so the good news is it does not get what I would considered crowded but you do need to make reservations many months ahead of your trip. I read a great description of this hike in a blog that said “This hike offers some of the highest beauty to difficulty value of any long distance trail.” What could be better, sign us up.

We arrived in London in May 2019 and spent our first 4 days sight seeing and testing out our rain gear. You don’t get much of a chance to test rain gear in Colorado. We spent most of our time strolling around the city, taking in a Broadway musical, watching the changing of the guard, enjoying a rock and roll walking tour and simply taking in the London sights.

We then flew up to Glasgow where our friend and her husband live to start our 7 day, 96 mile ( 155 km ) walk. We spent one more day taking a tour of Edinburgh and then it was off to the West Highland Way. The map and elevation profile for the hike is below. There is also an official site for the West Highland Way that is worthwhile checking out at westhighlandway.org

Day 1 Milngavie to Dryman 12 miles ( 19 km ) and relatively flat

We came prepared for rain and it gave us a test right from the start. Our friends are avid hikers and they said if you wait for it to stop raining you won’t ever get to hike. OK, they were not kidding. Fortunately our rain gear held up well.

As we approached Drymen the skies cleared up and we had our first glimpse of Loch Lomond. We will be hiking along Loch Lomond for the next 2 days. Our first night we stayed at the Angel Cottage Bed and Breakfast in Drymen. a small, quaint village and very accommodating to the hikers.

That evening, we dined at a pub just down the street that we were told was the oldest established pub in Scotland. Along with a pint of beer, I had their traditional chicken pot pie which hit the spot after a rainy day on the trail.

We woke up to sunny skies and a full coarse breakfast with bacon, eggs and delicious cheeses and jams. We even took some left overs for our journey. The big cuddly sheep dogs at the Angel Cottage enjoyed performing for us as we prepared for the trail that morning.

Day 2 Dryman to Rowardennan 15 miles (24 km ) and 200 to 300m climbing

The hike starts off gently uphill out of Drymen with nice views of the lush green fields and moss covered rock walls lining the trail. We’re so happy the weather is cooperating today and it’s not raining. We get nice glimpses of Loch Lomond and learn more about the walk from a daughter and her 75 year old father who has done this i can’t remember how many times. Up ahead is Conic hill which is optional and we are told has tremendous views of the lake from the top.

The views from the top of conic hill are worthy of the 100 m climb. The remainder of the hike to Rowardennan was along the lake and relatively flat. We tried to get reservations at a lodge in Rowardennan but they were booked so we stayed at the Rowardennan Lodge Youth Hostel. The food was nothing to get excited over but the place was clean and we enjoyed the company of some of the hikers we had met on the trail.

Day 3 Rowardennan to Invernanan 14 miles (22.5 km ) with challenging terrain

This section takes you along the northern, more remote part of the lake where the trail gets fairly challenging, especially north of Inversnaid. I remember I had wished I had a set of hiking poles to help navigate the steep ups and downs as the trail follows the shore line. The lake gets narrow along this stretch and you have great views of the other side. My favorite part of this section were the wild goats climbing up in the trees. The hillsides were exploding with these small blue flowers. We were not able to get reservations in Invernanan but found lodging across the lake at the Ardlui Hotel, about a mile before Invernanan. They have water taxis to take you across the lake. There was nothing special about our stay at the Ardlui and I would recommend trying to get reservations in Invernanan.

Day 4 Invernanan to Tyndrum 12 miles ( 19 km) with some climbing

We pull out our trusty rain gear and eventually find ourselves walking along the valley floor and through lush green farmland. The rain starts coming down hard but we are well prepared. The last couple of miles are uphill into Tyndrum where we stayed at the Tyndrum Lodges. Fortunately most of the lodges on the trail have what they call drying rooms, guaranteed to dry out your gear with their de-humidifiers and hot temperatures. My soaking wet hiking boots were nice and dry in the morning. I never would have thought this would be a necessity but walking up to wet hiking boots would make for a miserable day of hiking.

The folks at the Ardlui Hotel were nice enough to give us a lift up the road to Invernanan where we started our 4th day of hiking. The trail now meanders away from the lakes and into the Scottish highlands. I believe the colorful yellow flowering plant along the trail is called Gorse and we saw it along the trail in many places. The trail slowly climbs before reaching the halfway point , Crianlarch, at 780 ft (230 m) . There is a spur that takes you into Crianlarch if you need refreshments or have decided to stay there for lodging. We continued on up and find a nice place for a picnic lunch, unaware of the rains that are on the way.

One of my favorite finds along the hike were the “honesty boxes”, full of refreshing drinks and snacks. I believe they were asking around 1 pound per item. There were not many of these but a nice surprise when you came across one.

Day 5 Tyndrum to Kingshouse 19 miles ( 30.5 km) with some climbing

We had decided to hike all the way to Kingshouse today ( actually we did not stay at Kingshouse but stopped hiking there ) . We have lucked out this morning with blue skies and no rain in the forecast. This is probably the most remote section of trail, part of it along an old military road and a trail the Drovers used. You will pass by the Orchy Railway station and then just before you reach Inveroran you’re up at around 1100 ft (350 m) and have great views of Loch Tulla. After Inveroran, you walk along the edge of a forest and big open spaces abound. Continue on through one of Britain’s largest moors: Rannoch moor. There is a ski area just before Kingshouse where we catch a 20 min bus to Glencoe. The reviews we read about Kingshouse were mediocre at best and since they are the only place near the trail, they were expensive. I suggest finding a nicee bnb in Glencoe. I can’t find the bnb we stayed in but Glencoe is a welcoming tourist town where we found a variety of choices for dinner. Our bnb had great views from our window including the elk visiting us in the back yard.

Day 6 Kingshouse to Kinlochleven 9 miles with the Devil's Staircase

Today is a only 9 miles of hiking but the Devil’s Staircase awaits us. The staircase zig zags up to the highest point on the West Highland Way at 1800 ft ( 550 m ). Here you are in Munro country where I’m told scenes from the James Bond movie Skyfall were filmed. A Munro is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height of over 3000 ft (914 m ). Avid climbers refer to climbing a Munro as “bagging” one. I can relate to this since in Colorado one climbs a “four-tenner” for bragging rights. As you can see, this area is probably the most mountainous on the hike. Once you reach the top of Devil’s Staircase, the hike is all downhill into Kinlochleven.

Kinlocheven is a small old mining town turned into a tourist town with a good selection of pubs and restaurants. We stayed at a guest house in Kinlochleven called The Tigh Na Cheo guest house. The staff was friendly, breakfast was good and they will pack you a lunch if you want one.

The front yard of a Kinlochleven residence

Day 7 Kinlochleven to Fort William 15 miles with a steep 1000 ft (300m) climb out of town

The final day trekking. It is a steep climb out of Kinlochleven but the views at the top looking back into town are spectacular. We were ecstatic we’d lucked out with the weather and had sunny skies the last 3 days and they were still cooperating on last day hiking. At the top of the climb, the Way continues back down towards Fort William through forest and eventually a view of Britain’s highest mountain Ben Nevis.

Yea, we made it 96 miles and we celebrate in Fort Williams with an obligatory photo with “The man with sore feet” statue at the finish line. We stay over in Fort Williams and in the morning continued our adventure further north to The Isle of Skye. Skye is known for it’s rugged landscapes, picturesque fishing villages and hiking trails. We had reserved a rental car which worked out well but I will warn you the roads are narrow in Skye and in many places single lane and require proficiency driving in reverse for long distances. There are also plenty of buses that head up that way. We spent 2 glorious days hiking there and stayed at an Airbnb in Portree, Grenitote Bed and Breakfast.